The Right to Information Act's provisions for protecting personal information of third parties can override repeated requests that could be seen as harassing to the public authority.

Information sought:

1. The Appellant filed an (offline) RTI application dated 03.04.2024 seeking the following information:

“QUERY -1) Give me the copies of the policies bond front page with proper attestation I have full rights to ask the copies because my personal details like my Name V S S KRISHNA and my personal Mobile No: 9790750692 are printed in the footer path of the bond copies. This policies are completed in my FSE code 0015070 only.

In my previous RTI Ref No: LICSZ/R/T/22/00006 Receipt Date: 28.02.2022 Refer the Query – 06 In this query I asked the bond front page copies for the 248 policies but the RTI and FA stage you (CPIO) and FAA both refused my request So, I filed the Case in CIC Ref No: CIC/LICOI/A/2022/630298 Receipt Dated: 01.06.2022.

On hearing, the commission directs the CPIO to furnish the information to the appellant after redacting the information pertaining to third party. According to the Commission’s direction you also attached the copies of policy bond with RTI certified seal.

So, now in the same way give me the Policies bond copies for the Serial No: 249 to 493 with proper RTI verified seal. I don’t want the third party details. You should redact the infor., pertaining to third party. These policies are continuation and these policies are also completed in same FSE appraisal year only.

Give me the print copies in High quality paper with proper attestation.

2. The CPIO furnished a reply to the Appellant on 23.04.2024 stating as under:

“2925 policies had been completed under your FSE code during the period between 2012 and 2018.

Since your name with contact number had been incorporated on the footer note of the policy bonds, you had asked for the copies of the bonds as per the decision of the Hon'ble CIC vide CIC/LICOI/A/2022/630298 dated 01.06.2022 and accordingly, the copies of 248 policy bonds were given.

Now, you are asking for another batch of 250 policy bonds in your recent RTI application Ref No. LICSZ/R/E/24/00040 dated 03.04.2024 by citing the above decision.

We hereby confirm that your name had been incorporated on the footer note of almost all the 2925 bonds as per the provision made by the Corporation.

We had given our reply dated 03.09.2020 to your RTI application Ref: LICSZ/R/T/20/00032 dated 31.08.2020 stating that requests were made to the policyholders to contact the servicing branch office for service purpose in future instead of contacting you.

In view of the above, the information cannot be given under Section 8 (1)(j) of the RTI Act, 2005.”

3. Being dissatisfied, the appellant filed a First Appeal dated 03.05.2024. The FAA vide its order dated 15.05.2024, held as under.

“The Appellant is informed that the exhaustive and voluminous information sought regarding provision of certified copies of policy bonds of 245 (number) of policy holders from Serial No.249 (Policy No. 709520674) to Serial No.493 (Policy No.709527967), is not separately maintained as a Record in a compiled form, at a single point, as it is not mandated by any statutory requirement or by any law being in force and is not required for day-to-day working of the respondent organization. This office of Public Authority will have to trace, collect and collate the exhaustive and voluminous information sought, from the relevant module by feeding each policy number, which would disproportionately divert the resources of the respondent organization, attracting Section 7 (9) of the RTI